Red House Pizzeria

Thank you Art Alliance! For not only providing me with awesome volunteer opportunities (which totally give me the warm and fuzzies), but also for feeding my hungry belly. 

Last night I met the ladies at Red House Pizzeria, which I'm ashamed to admit I had only drank at...never eaten. I was late, of course, so the ladies had already ordered. 

Risotto Balls appeared in front of me... oozing with pesto and fontina and covered in marinara. I was skeptical, but with the first bite I was in heaven. Seriously, delish!!! Soft and creamy on the inside, perfectly fried and crispy on the outside.

The Greek Salad was good, but lacking. It was just a way to get our veggies in the midst of carb land.

***Also, on a side note, what is up with all Pizzerias serving Greek Salad?***

The Margherita Pizza was not very good. No sauce, very little cheese, the crust was soggy, and the flavors were quite bland... don't worry, I still ate two slices and the tip of another one... I was hungry!

Great thing about this place is that it mixes Italian comfort food with booze. Head over to the bar behind the restaurant and enjoy a merry little cocktail! 

http://www.redhousepizza.com/home.html

SIENA

On a chilly Saturday night we headed to Siena for a friend's birthday. 
I was looking forward to the building more so than the food...

I loved the heavy woods, the stones, the fireplace, the layout, the tables, the chairs, the chandeliers...I felt like I was in the Tuscan countryside. The Birthday Girl told me the bulk of the stones and some of the decorative details were brought here from Italy... lovely.


I gotta admit, we weren't the easiest table (of 12) , but come on, I asked for bread around 3 times before getting a roll, then waited another 10 minutes for the server to bring me water, and another 15 for my glass of wine. They've got to work on their service.
 

Since we were a large group and I was limited to try only the dishes around me, here are my 2 cents...

The Fichi Ripieni con Pecorino Toscano (roasted figs wrapped in Parma prosciutto and stuffed with pecorino Toscano, with olive oil and aged balsamic vinegar) were edible, but tough, burnt, and not as savory as I had hoped. 

Antipasto Misto Toscano (olives, peppers, Grana Padano, salami, prosciutto, baalsamic roasted portobello, and crostini with chicken pate) was your basic plate of goodies - was alright, but for $16 I could have gotten two other decent antipasti.

Some folks ordered Primi Piati, which are basically small pasta plates. One of our friends described it as "It looks like my food fell from a big dish onto this little one". Hilarious.

Italianini had Filetto di Manzo al Porto. An overcooked beef tenderloin filet with Gorgonzola and Chianti demiglace over roasted potatoes, pancetta, and onions. I am not a Chianti fan, but I was so hungry that I ate a quarter or so of his dish. Poor Italianini. 

I had the Filetto di Salmone con Capesante. The word tarragon in the description made it an automatic choice. I was a bit disappointed with the fishiness of the Salmon, and the dull scallops. Siena brags about the authenticity and quality of their seafood...not sure why.
They were bland, hard, almost like calamari--not buttery like scallops are supposed to be. The presentation lacked color and pizzazz.

It was not worth the $27.

So, overall a beautiful venue for a birthday, a wedding, a shower, sure, but not for your casual night out. The service and the food are not worth your money.

http://www.sienarestaurant.com/